By Jason Wesseldyk
Sports Editor
The final score doesn’t always tell the full story of an athletic contest.
Allegan coach Jake Kaylor believes that was the case when his team hosted state-ranked Watervliet on Tuesday, Oct. 4.
Because while the Tigers fell in straight sets (25-14, 25-14, 25-21), they scored more points against Watervliet and lost my a closer margin than 10th-ranked Bridgman did.
“Our hope was that we would compete at some level, and the girls did not disappoint,” Kaylor said. “While I did not expect us to win this match at this point in our development, I did hope that we would put up a fight. We did just that.”
Madison Cariker led Allegan with five kills and 17 assists. Addison Fales had three kills and nine digs.
Katelyn VanAtter and Carlee Rynearson had two blocks each. The Tigers serving percentage was better than 92 percent, with Cariker, Fales and McKinley Wilkes not missing a serve.
“I’m proud of the girls for coming back in the third set,” Kaylor said. “They played timid in the first two, but by the third they understood that they could hang with them in certain rotations. We capitalized on this to make the game close, even pulling ahead midway through the third.”